Baz Luhrmann's Australia ....

All about prettiness really, as you'd expect of the Moulin Rouge director. Australia and Australia are exceedingly pretty as are Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (esp without the beard). The little "half-caste" boy - he's so pretty I thought he was a girl for 20 minutes. Kangaroos look great in profile, velvet ears flopping about. The landscapes - painterly, dear, painterly. The only really ugly person is the old rum drunk who does Nicole's accounts: you know his end will be sticky but honourable. "King George", the ancient Aboriginal mystic, posing about as Australia's old mythic soul, is prettily old, with a lovely small arse and sharp skin wraps. And I don't think I've ever seen better looking battle ships going up in smoke: such handsome arabesques on the theme of grey from writhing steel aflame. Luhrmann forever seeks the pretty and his topics are incidental to this, including Australia. I don't think Australia will make its producers rich(er).